A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words
by EmmyR
Summary: Ziva has only two photos of her late older brother, Ari. What happens when one of them gets destroyed?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS, if I did, things would be different :-)**

**This part of the story takes place around Silver War, right when Ziva joins the team. The next few chapters will be a year later, right after Hiatus, but without Gibbs retiring to Mexico.  
**

**Author's Note: This is my first published fic, so be nice, please!**

Gibbs walked into NCIS early, it was barely 0600. He stepped out of the elevator, and reprimanded himself for being shocked. He had just gotten used to Kate's desk being empty, and now it held an Israeli, who was currently sitting in the chair holding a photo, but he couldn't see of what. She gently stroked one of the faces, the creases evident as to how old the paper was.

"Morning, Ziva," he said quietly walking by her desk. He was shocked when she looked up and quickly hid the photo. Standing, she followed him to his desk.

"Gibbs, I was not expecting anyone to come in yet," she stuttered. Gibbs thought for a moment, then handed her a coffee. He always got two in the morning so that he wouldn't have to get a refill so soon, but his newest team member looked like she could use it.

"Yeah, I had some work to get done. Why are you here so early?" he asked, curious about the photo.

"Plane lag," she said, and he chuckled.

"Jet lag?" he asked. She nodded. "What was that photograph you were looking at?"

She turned her head so that her hair covered her face. "It was nothing."

"Looked like something," he noted.

"It does not matter," she said quietly, turning to go back to her desk. He followed her.

"You sure about that?" he asked, in the tone that generally got him the response he was looking for. And it worked again this time.

Ziva sighed. She hadn't wanted the team to see the photo, for obvious reasons, but Gibbs was the only person who would understand. She pulled it out and smoothed it, handing it to him.

Gibbs accepted the paper, and was taken aback. It was three Israeli children. One was clearly Ziva, she had the same look in her eyes, even then. But the other two? "Ari? And?" he asked.

"Yes, it is Ari. And that's my little sister Tali. She was killed in a Hamas suicide bombing, oh, many years ago," she said, still not looking at her boss.

His heart ached for the woman in front of him. Less than half his age, and she had lost so much. Her childhood, her sister, her brother. And now to give up the only life she knows and become part of a team, taking the place of the woman her brother had killed. It took more courage than anyone he had met.

"I'm sorry, Gibbs, I should not have been looking at it here," she whispered, gently taking the photo and slipping it into a book that went into her purse.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Because of Kate. Is it right of me to miss the person who killed your teammate?" she asked, showing the vulnerability he had seen that night several weeks ago.

"Ziva, he was your brother. This team may not seem upset about his death, but that doesn't mean that you can't mourn him in your own way. I'm sure at one time he was a very good brother."

"He used to be, before both of us just became Mossad officers. No one gets through the Metsada training unscathed."

Gibbs looked at the clock. The others would be coming in soon, but he wanted to make a quick point, in case someone came in early. It was true that he was shedding no tears over Ari's death. But this woman had had to kill her brother to save someone she didn't know, and to top it off, everyone around her was celebrating his death. "Ziva, you are a wonderful woman. Never doubt that. You are coming into this team and helping us heal, all the while having to hide your grief for the sake of everyone else. You shouldn't be ashamed that you have to go through the grieving process as much as the rest of us." That was the most he had spoken to anyone in a long time, but she had looked like she needed it. And he knew that there was no one else she could talk to, who understood the burden she held. To NCIS, she was just Ari's C.O., not his sister, and to both NCIS and Mossad she hadn't killed him.

Ziva smiled slightly at her boss. Taking a sip of the coffee, she said, "Thank you, Gibbs. I appreciate the hep talk."

Gibbs laughed again. "You mean pep talk," he stated.

"Yes, that, too," she said with a chuckle.

"Do you have any other photos of him?" he asked, wanting to keep the smile on her face.

She looked cautiously at him, then nodded. Bringing the book out again, she pulled out one more photo. "This is the only other one that I have," she said, handing it to him. "It was taken a few years ago."

Gibbs took it, and, though he felt a small fire of anger towards this man just by looking at him, he didn't see the hardened killer. He simply saw a brother and sister smiling and laughing in front of a structure. He grinned. "Paris," he stated, recognizing the landmarks.

Before she could respond, the elevator dinged, and Tony and McGee walked in. Gibbs looked at Ziva, who had paled, and grabbed the photo out of his hand and shoved it into the book, the book into her purse, and her purse into her desk. Gibbs went and sat down, feeling bad for the Israeli. Two pictures, and some pretty shitty memories. That was all she had left of her older brother. He hoped that she would find what she was looking for at NCIS.


	2. Chapter 2

One Year Later

Ziva sat at her desk, fairly pleased with herself. She had been able to get Gibbs to remember everything, when no one else had been able to. Granted, she had to remember one of the worst days of her life in order to do it, but it was worth it. It was for Gibbs. She had killed Ari for him, so talking about him a year later in order to save him from the confines of his mind would be nothing. But then she looked at the calendar on her desk, and started in surprise. It was the one year anniversary of her brother's death. She shouldn't have let the day take her by surprise, as the others had had a short memorial for Kate not long ago, but it still snuck up on her. She glanced at the book in her desk. She hadn't taken the photos out since she had shown them to Gibbs. Looking around at her coworkers, she saw that they were all talking excitedly, waiting for Gibbs and the director to come out of MTAC. Since they seemed like they would be talking for a while, she put her ninja skills to work and stealthily pulled out the only two pictures she had of her older brother. She looked at the childhood one for a minute, then turned to Paris. That week with her brother was one of the best of her life. They had both taken leave from Mossad to spend time together. It was the last time they were ever a family.

She was so engrossed in the photo of Paris, that she didn't notice when Tony snuck up on her.

Looking over her shoulder, wondering what had her so oblivious to the world around her, he saw her looking at a picture of her and .Ari. Tony felt his blood boil. How could she be looking at that bastard with that small smile on her face? And sitting at Kate's desk? Fuming, he looked closer at the photo she held. They had been told that Ziva was merely his C.O. But it looked like they were more than that. Tony mentally Gibbs slapped himself. Of course, they had been lovers! He should have seen it by how hard she had defended the bastard. Unable to take anymore of that scene, he stomped over and ripped the photo out of her hands. Letting out a surprised gasp, she looked up at him for a moment, then was on her feet in an instant.

"Tony, give that back to me, its private," she demanded.

"Oh, private, is it?" he said loudly, getting McGee, Abby, and Ducky's attention. They turned to see what the commotion was about. "Private because its your photo? Or is it private because you didn't want us to know that Ari was your lover?" he spat.

Ziva was taken aback. She hadn't expected that. "Tony, he wasn't my lover. Now give me my photo back!" she yelled.

Tony looked at her for a moment, and when she made to grab it out of his hands, he ripped it. Then he ripped it again. He did it until he was holding a handful of confetti. As long as he lived, though, he would never be able to get out of his mind her horror stricken look, and the howl of misery she let loose as she knelt to collect the pieces.

Ziva had never let her coworkers see her emotions, even after Gibbs had gotten blown up. It was part of her Mossad training, that emotions were weakness. But now, having the only recent photo of her brother be destroyed in front of her, she couldn't stop the tears. She fell to her knees and hurriedly picked up the pieces before he decided to burn them or something. Tony looked down at her in disgust and moved to walk away. But he stopped at the elevator as Gibbs stormed out of MTAC. Once the boss was back in the squad room, he stopped dead in his tracks, and took in the scene. Tony was as far from Ziva as was possible with a look of disgust; Abby and McGee looked confused, and Ducky looked worried. But what he saw most of was Ziva. The fearless Mossad assassin, bawling on her knees as she picked up tiny pieces of something off the floor.

Gibbs went and knelt next to her, picking up a piece. Looking at it, he saw that it was the fragment of a photo. The piece was so small that the only thing on it was the word "Rue". Realization hit him like a freight train, and he looked at Ziva, understanding her distress. The only recent photo she had of her late older brother was destroyed. He went over to his desk, picked up an envelope, and helped her put all of the pieces into it. Putting it on her desk, he helped her to her feet. He felt like he had two hours ago, to have Ziva crying in his arms. He felt a rage go through him. He knew that she would never destroy that photo. It was one of her most precious possessions. And the confused/worried looks from McGee, Abby and Ducky ruled them out. Looking over at Tony, he saw that the younger man's expression of disgust hadn't changed. He guided the hysterical woman into her chair, and handed her the older photo to help calm her. Kissing her head, he grabbed the envelope of pieces, and went first to his Senior Agent.

"Want to explain, DiNozzo?" he demanded.

Tony looked at his boss, unable to believe this. His boss had helped her pick up the pieces, and had comforted her. Obviously he didn't know.

"Boss, I think that Ari was her lover. I mean, why else would she have a photo of the two of them in Paris?" Tony exploded, then realized he had never scene his boss so mad.

"Maybe because he was her brother!" he hissed quietly, not wanting the others to over hear. "And what's more, she's the one who killed him, not me. She killed her own brother to save my life. Imagine what its been like for her this year, everyone celebrating his death, her having to mourn the loss in secret. The only two pictures she has of him were at her desk, and you just destroyed the only recent one that she owned!" Gibbs growled, keeping his voice low, but white hot anger radiated off of him. Turning his back, he couldn't even look at DiNozzo right now. Holding the envelope, he went to Abby. Pulling her aside, he handed it to her. "Can you fix it?" he asked quietly. She was the only one he knew with the skills who could do it.

She stared at him as she took the envelope. "I don't know what's going on, Gibbs. Is this something I should do?" she asked, not looking at him, keeping her eyes on the pieces.

Gibbs put his hand under her chin and forced her to look at him. "It would mean a lot to me, and to Ziva, if you would do what you could to fix it, maybe print a new one?"

She studied his face for a moment, then nodded. One of the first things he had done when he had gotten back was to defend Ziva. She knew that if he said she should do something, she should do it.

"I don't know how long it will take," she whispered. "There's a lot of pieces."

"Not a problem," he whispered back, then shouted, "DiNozzo! You're helping Abby!" Gibbs was pleased to see that Tony at least had the good sense to look like a dog with his tail between his legs as he walked over and went with Abby down to her lab. "Abs," he called, making her walk back up to him. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her head. "Thank you," he whispered, putting a lot of meaning into it.

If nothing else would have made her work on the photo, it was the raw emotion in his voice. She nodded, and went with Tony back to her lab.

Gibbs looked at the other two, McGee and Ducky. McGee started.

"Boss, is it true?" he asked quietly. "Her lover?"

"No, McGee. She loved him, but never like that," Gibbs said, not wanting to give the whole truth. McGee simply nodded, satisfied with the answer. He had always accepted that the Israeli had a past. What mattered to him was who she is, not who she was.

"Will she be alright, Jethro?" Ducky asked.

"She will be, as soon as Abby and DiNozzo fix that photo," Gibbs said, just as quietly. The three of them looked over at her desk, and none of them were really surprised to find it empty. She had left in all of the excitement. Gibbs walked over, and was honestly shocked when he found the childhood photo lying on her desk in plain sight. He had only seen it that once, nearly a year ago. Maybe she thought that the only way to stay on the team was to offer a sacrifice, and that was both photos. Gibbs growled low in his throat. She had paid her dues. She didn't owe the team, in fact, he believed that the team owed her. But he would worry about that later. Right now, he was starting to feel the side effects of being blown up, and knew he should lie down. Looking at McGee, he asked if the Junior Agent would give him a lift home, since Ziva had been his ride to NCIS. He agreed hurriedly, and the three left.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own NCIS**

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! Keep 'em coming, they help to feed the muse...  
**

The next day, Gibbs went into NCIS, holding a hand made frame. He had worked hard on it that night, and had decided that it was time Ziva stopped being ashamed. If she wanted to remember Ari as her brother, she should have the chance. The other agents had pictures of family at their desks, she should be able to as well. He went down to the lab, to find Abby and DiNozzo napping on the floor. The photo was nearly complete, though not quite. He was still shocked at how many pieces there were. Tony must have been in a rage. But, looking up again as the computer beeped, he found that the computer had finished putting the missing pieces were they belonged.

Abby woke with the beep and looked at him. He reached down a hand and helped her to her feet. "Finished," she proclaimed proudly through a yawn. He handed her a CAF POW! and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you, Abs, I mean it," he said.

"Don't mention it. I mean, it's the least I could do for you and her. I mean, she got your memory back, and you're, well, you're Gibbs," she said, smiling at him. "Plus, I kind of owed her," she said, looking down.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I kinda, well, I kind of accused her of not caring about you," she mumbled. Looking up into his shocked gaze, she hurried to explain. "Okay, look, she was all hell bent on solving the case and didn't show any concern, and I was an emotional wreck, so we yelled, and then we fought. So I'm hoping that this makes us even," she said.

Gibbs sighed. It seemed that the Israeli just couldn't catch a break with the team. But he understood Abby's reaction. It was hard to deal with someone who rarely showed emotion, it was easy to think that they just didn't care. "Well, you working so hard to repair her photo will help. A lot," he stressed.

"They're related, aren't they?" she assumed. When he looked at her, confused, she continued. "I noticed when I was putting some of the pieces together that they share a lot of physical characteristics. So, are they related?" she asked.

"Yeah, Abs. Half siblings," Gibbs said quietly. Abby nodded, she had suspected as much, but it was still a shock.

"So, when the photo was destroyed-"

"It's the only recent photo of him that she owns. One of the only memories of happy times with him that she has."

Abby nodded again. "Then I'm glad I could help," she said, her voice stronger, and Tony moaned and woke up. Looking up at his boss, he winced and stood, remembering the night before. "Boss, about last night-" he started.

Gibbs interrupted him. "Apologize to Ziva. She says okay, then I'm okay."

Both Abby and Tony looked at him, shocked. Had Gibbs told someone to apologize? It was like a botanist telling someone that the grass was red.

"Boss, I thought you didn't-"

"I don't, DiNozzo. But you owe Ziva that much. So do it sometime today," Gibbs said before turning and walking out.

Abby looked at Tony, who was confused. "Yes, Gibbs told you to apologize to someone. Want my advise? Do it. She's your partner, Tony. She deserves to hear an apology from you."

"Why should I?" he yelled, knowing that he sounded like a seven year old, which just made him angrier. "She lied to us, Abby. Her teammates. By telling us that she was only his control officer and not his sister, she lied to us. Why would she do that unless she was hiding it from us, not wanting us to know?"

Abby got upset. She hated to talk about last year, but she had to. "Tony, we were all so happy that Ari was dead, and we were so mad at her for coming in and taking Kate's place, and being of the same nationality as her killer. What kind of a welcome could she have expected if we knew that she was the killer's sister? We would have had her packing her bags before she reached the Navy Yard. So she smiled, and didn't tell us how much it must have killed her to watch Gibbs kill her only brother." Tony bit his lip to avoid telling the truth, that Ziva had killed her brother to save Gibbs. Abby continued. "Imagine if the roles were reversed, Tony. What would you want her to do?" she asked as she pressed the print button. A copy of the picture printed out onto picture paper. It was as good as new. Abby was about to throw away the ripped pieces, when Tony stopped her.

"I've got them," he snapped. She just nodded and went to take the picture to Gibbs and Ziva.

Gibbs sat in his chair and turned on the computer. He was about to print off a file he needed when he heard Ziva come up to the desk.

"Gibbs, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked quietly. He nodded and stood. They walked together to the elevator. Once it was stopped, he nodded to her to start and took a sip of coffee. "I was just wondering if you still wanted me on your team," she said quietly.

Gibbs stopped mid-sip. Studying her face, he saw that she probably hadn't slept at all that night, and that was after a very hectic week. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Well, Tony does not trust me, and I know that the rest of the team will probably side with him, not that I can blame them. They have been working together for a long time, and teams need to be able to trust each other. If Tony cannot trust me about a picture and my past, he cannot trust me in the field. And teams that do not trust each other in the field get each other killed. I was wondering if you were going to transfer me to another team, or just send me back to Israel."

**A/N: I was tempted to make Tony play nice again right away, but I wanted to make this chapter and the next a bit more angsty. I hope you enjoy!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of the characters**

_"I was wondering if you were going to transfer me to another team, or just send me back to Israel."_

When she finished, Ziva swallowed. Her throat was tight with misery, but her Mossad face was back on. She had been foolish to let so many emotions show last night. This was a new day, and it was time for answers, and dealing with the repercussions of that night.

Gibbs couldn't believe what he was hearing. He studied her face again, and saw that below this, some would say icy exterior, he saw a little girl who was scared of being punished. He sighed. He hated dealing with drama, but this couldn't be helped. He knew last year when he let her on the team that they would have to deal with this one day. "Ziva, I want you on my team. Give Tony some time, show him that you are the same person you were two days ago. Meanwhile, if we have to go out into the field I'll make sure that you are paired with McGee, and I'll be with DiNozzo."

She nodded, accepting the plan, and he switched the elevator back on. "Thank you, Gibbs," she said strongly.

He reached over and squeezed her shoulder. "The rest of us trust you, Ziver. If we didn't, I would kick you back to Israel myself." They both laughed, and stepped out.

The day passed painfully slow. They all wanted a case, as the tension in the air was palpable. But no one called with a case, and Ziva spent the day being ignored. She felt like the last year hadn't happened and she was the leper of the group. She knew from experience that she couldn't force things to happen, she just had to wait, which was something she was not good at.

"Go home," Gibbs ordered around 6. He himself was getting pretty tired, and still hadn't recovered from his hospital stay. All he wanted was a cold beer and his couch. But first, "David," he called.

When all three paused, he beckoned over Ziva, and gave the other two a look that told them to clear out. Ziva went and stood in front of his desk.

"Yes?" she asked. Gibbs reached into his desk, and pulled out the frame he made, handing it to her. She gasped. It was the prettiest gift she had received. Running her fingers over it, she said, "Thank you, Gibbs. It's beautiful."

"Well, it's not bad, but this is even more beautiful," he said, handing her the photo Abby repaired.

Ziva's heart stopped. She hadn't been sure the Goth would be able to fix it, had been convinced that the photo was gone forever. And here it was, as good as new. "Gibbs…" she breathed.

"Hey, that one's not me. That's all Abby. She's hoping that this makes the two of you even." When Ziva just looked at him, confused, he laughed. "She told me that the two of you fought after she said something mean. So I guess she's thinking that you might consider her forgiven now."

"More than," Ziva said, tucking both photo and frame carefully into her purse. "Thanks again, Gibbs."

"See you tomorrow, Ziver."

Ziva was tempted to just go home with a bottle of wine, but she wanted to thank Abby. As she walked close to the lab, she smiled at the music that was blaring. Walking in, she shouted, "Abby!" to get her attention.

Abby turned around, and nearly tackled the Israeli with a hug.

"Oh my God, Ziva I'm so sorry. I know that you care about Gibbs, and I should never have said that you didn't. Even after I said that, you were the one that got his memory back, which is amazing, because he's only known you for a year. But you did it, and that is so awesome! Oh, did you get the photo I fixed?" she was rambling.

Ziva laughed and held up her hands. "Yes, Abby I got it. That is why I came down here, I wanted to say thank you. It is amazing, I did not know if you would be able to fix it."

"No worries, like I told Gibbs, I kind of owed you," she said sheepishly.

"Do you want to go get a drink?" Ziva offered.

"Sounds like fun. Usual bar?"

"Yes."

"I'll meet you there," Abby said, turning to shut off her machines.

Ziva left and smiled. It seemed that with Abby all was forgiven. She didn't know about everyone other than her and Gibbs, but she would work hard. It was like it was last year again, having to earn trust and prove herself. Normally she would have been annoyed that she had to do so much again, but she knew that it would be worth it.

After such a long week, it was nice to be able to relax with a friend and enjoy a drink or two. Around 11, they both went home, and Ziva smiled as she went to bed, feeling a bit of hope for the first time in a few days. But then she remembered Tony's expressions and attitude the last two days, and felt some of that hope fade.

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, but I wanted to set this up for the next one, which will be worth the wait, I promise :-)**

**Like it? Hit the button below and make my day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

When the team got to work the next day, no one was surprised that Ziva was already there and working. It seemed like it would be a repeat of the day before, and no one spoke. No jokes or pranks were happening, and if it had been for any other reason, Gibbs would have been pleased. The team got more work done that day than they had in nearly a week. Tony knew that he should at least talk to her, but he couldn't bring himself to. So he kept his distance, only speaking when he needed something.

There was a sigh of relief from all of them when Gibbs' phone rang, and after he hung up, he barked "Grab your gear."

"What do we got, boss?" Tony asked.

"Shots fired at Rock Creek Park," was the reply.

"Shots fired? Why did they call NCIS?" McGee asked.

"The suspect is a petty officer," Gibbs snapped.

They all nodded and hurried to the elevator. When they got on scene, it was eerily quiet, there was no one in sight. The hairs on Ziva's neck stood on end, and she put a hand on her gun.

"Something is wrong, Gibbs," she said quietly.

"Well, you think, David?" Tony bit out.

Gibbs groaned. Even on a case, there was still tension. And he wanted to keep his promise to Ziva that he would not put her and DiNozzo together, but they were the better shots than McGee, so he knew that he had to be paired with the probie.

"Ziva, you're with-"

"DiNozzo," she said, nodding. She knew that this was how it had to be, and wouldn't give the boss crap, especially not with the feeling she had.

Gibbs grinned. He knew that Ziva would put her personal feelings aside when it was important. Most of that was her Mossad training. "Right. And McGee, you're with me. Look around. You see something suspicious, trust your gut, but no heroics, got it? I don't like this quiet."

The team nodded and slipped off quietly in two's. Ziva kept her mind on the task at hand, knowing that this was her chance to prove to Tony that he could trust her, at least in the field. They were looking around for about half an hour, and the bad feeling Ziva had had just got worse. A feeling of dread that she hadn't had for a while grew on her and she turned in time to see a gunman in a tree, pointing a gun at Tony. Drawing her gun, she saw him aim to take the shot.

"Tony!" she yelled, forgetting self preservation. She gripped her gun, shoved her partner out of the way, and heard the pop of a gun.

She gritted her teeth against the familiar feeling of cold numbness that was spreading in her right shoulder. Knowing she didn't have long to take out the shooter, she transferred her SIG to her left hand and took the shot, hitting the man between the eyes.

"Ziva!" she dimly heard Tony yell, and felt him catch her as her knees gave out. Gently laying her on the ground, he ripped off his jacket. "Stay with me, Ziva!" he ordered. "Gibbs!" he yelled. Looking up, he saw his boss and McGee running towards them.

"DiNozzo, what happened?" Gibbs demanded, taking off his jacket to put under her head as Tony pressed his against her shoulder to staunch the bleeding. McGee was on his cell, calling for an ambulance for an officer down.

"Shooter was in that tree, aiming at me. Ziva pushed me out of the way and took the shot."

"Damn it, Ziva, I told you no heroics!" he yelled at her.

She looked up at her boss. "Sorry, Gibbs," she whispered.

"No worries, Ziva. Ambulance is on its way. You just have to stay with us, okay?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Tony okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Ziva. I'm here. And that was a great shot, by the way. I forget sometimes how great your aim is," Tony said. The last two days were forgotten as he looked down at his partner.

"Ambulance is here," McGee said.

Gibbs looked up and saw the flashing lights. "Okay. DiNozzo, chair carry," he snapped. Tony nodded, and together they lifted Ziva and half-ran her to the ambulance.

"What do we got?" the medic asked.

"Female, late twenties. Single gunshot wound to the shoulder," Gibbs said as they gently set her onto the gurney. The two medics lifted her into the ambulance. Gibbs jumped in to go with them to the hospital. He looked at the other agents.

"Call Ducky for the shooter, and process the scene, then meet me at Bethesda," he ordered, and the doors closed, the cab careening off.

Tony and McGee stood there for a moment in shock. McGee clapped his Senior Agent on the shoulder in comfort, and called up Ducky. As soon as he hung up, he shook him.

"Tony! We have to process the scene. Soon as we do that, we'll get an update on her. Okay?" McGee asked.

Tony nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Let's get to work."

The two of them stayed there, working as quickly as possible, both knowing that they had to find out how Ziva was doing. They looked up as they saw Ducky and Palmer hurrying towards them.

"Anthony, what happened?" Ducky asked.

"Shooter's over there," he said, pointing. "Ziva was standing right over here. He aimed at me, she shoved me out of the way, took the bullet, then shot him."

"Oh, my. Will she be alright?" the ME asked.

"Don't know, Ducky. Gibbs told us to process the scene, then go to Bethesda."

Ducky nodded, and did his work as quickly as he could. Whenever he had a chance, though, he would take a look at Tony. The man was shaking, and his clothes had splatters of his partner's blood on him. Ducky sighed. It looked like the young man was punishing himself, not just for this incident, but also for not forgiving her for the other night. He sighed. He hoped that all of this would work out okay.

At Bethesda, the doctors had rushed Ziva into surgery, and told Gibbs to wait in the waiting room. Then the nurse asked who her medical proxy was. Gibbs frowned. He wasn't sure, to be honest. Her family was out of the question, most of them being dead or in another country. Wait, he remember shortly after she joined the team, she had asked him to be hers and had given him some paper to sign. He told the nurse, and she had him sign and fill out a few forms, though he couldn't do any of the family medical history. The Israeli was a mystery to him, still. The nurse frowned, but nodded, taking the forms from him and telling him the doctors would let him know more when she got out of surgery.

Gibbs sat for a moment, then went to get some coffee. He hated hospital coffee almost as much as he hated hospitals. The most recent times he had been in one were after he had gotten blown up; when Kate died; and when Tony had the plague. None were particularly good memories, to put it lightly. He lost track of how long he had been sitting in the uncomfortable plastic chair, a coffee in one hand, his head in another when he heard, "Boss!" His head snapped up, and he saw Tony and Tim rush towards him. He smiled slightly, as they had stopped by a coffee shop on the way, and brought three a fresh ones. Tony handed one to him, saying "I figure even hospital coffee is too much for you. How is she?"

"Still in surgery. Doctor's haven't come out yet," he replied, sitting back down. "You guys process the scene?"

"Yeah, it's all back at the lab with Abby, and the shooter is on Ducky's table, probably getting cut up as we speak."

Gibbs nodded, and continued staring at the doors to surgery. The others sat on either side of him, and they settled in for the wait.

***ducks flying objects* Don't kill me! I had to do something drastic for Tony to pull his head out of his ass. I won't kill off Ziva, don't worry!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

After another hour, they were joined by Ducky, Abby, and Palmer. Gibbs didn't bother asking why they were there instead of working. They were all starting to get worried. Gibbs had known more serious surgeries to take half as long as this one was taking.

They all breathed a sigh of relief when a weary looking doctor came out and said, "Family of Ziva David?" pronouncing it Day-vid.

"Dah-veed," they all corrected simultaneously as they stood. The doctor was shocked that all six of them had stood and approached him. "I'm sorry, are you her family?" he asked, and was immediately shown three badges.

"I'm Special Agent Gibbs, these are Special Agents DiNozzo and McGee, Ziva's doctor, Dr. Mallard, and this is Abby Scuito and Jimmy Palmer."

"I'm sorry, but I'll only be able to speak with her family or her medical proxy," the doctor said regrettably.

"That would be me," Gibbs answered. He nodded his head at the others who frowned and walked a safe distance away, but kept their eyes on them. "What is it, doctor?"

"Well, I have to say, Ms. David is in remarkably good health, and it will help speed her recovery. However, there were some complications during surgery."

"What kind of complications?"

"Well, the most worrisome thing is the blood loss. Ms. David has a rare type, B negative, and we haven't been able to find enough resources for it."

"I'll talk to my team, see if any of them would be able to donate if they have the same type."

"That would be good. And if any of them are type AB, that is a universal donor. We would prefer B neg, but O neg could work in a pinch, which is where we are now."

"Understood, doctor. Anything else?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, yes. I mentioned the severe blood lose. That caused her heart to fail once during surgery for 72 seconds. However," he said quickly as Gibbs paled, "we were able to get it going again rather quickly. The bullet was a through and through, which is rather lucky for her. It could have done a lot more damage to the bones and muscle. She is a very lucky woman. We would like to keep her for a few days, as she will be needing transfusions for a while to replace the blood she lost, but she should be back home in a few days. She will have to stay out of the field for a while, though, give her shoulder a chance to heal."

Gibbs nearly laughed. That was a conversation he wasn't looking forward to, and he would have to make sure she didn't have any weapons on her when he told her.

"Now, like I said, she is very lucky. I have known injuries like this to be a lot worse. She needs her rest, but if you would like to see her, I could allow each of you to go into her room, though no more than two at a time."

Gibbs nodded, and shook his hand. "Thank you, doctor."

He just nodded, and turned to leave. Gibbs walked over to his team.

"How is she, Gibbs? I mean, she's going to be okay, right?" Abby asked, worriedly.

"She'll be okay, Abs. But she's lost a lot of blood. Any of you B neg or O neg?" he asked.

"I am," McGee said, raising his hand slightly.

"Great, McGee. You be okay donating for Ziva?"

"Boss, you really need to ask me that?" he said, looking his boss in the eye, mouth grim.

"Good man," Gibbs said, clasping the Junior Agent's shoulder. "Now, doc says that we can go in and see her two at a time. So, McGee, how bout you and Abby first, that way once you're done you can go and give the blood."

The two nodded, and left. " Okay, so then it'll be Ducky and Palmer, then you and me, DiNozzo."

"Boss, I can't," Tony whispered, shocking everyone.

"What the hell do you mean, you can't, DiNozzo?" Gibbs snapped.

"I mean that I can't go in there," he said clearly, his voice hard. He turned on his heel, and walked back out the hospital doors. Gibbs was tempted to go back and give his Senior Agent the hardest head slap he ever had. This woman saved his life, and the man was too much of a coward to go and see her? He was furious, but knew he had to keep his calm for the others.

He nodded, and the three men waited for McGee and Abby to come back out. Once they had, the ME and his assistant went in. Gibbs didn't comment on Ducky's wet eyes when they came back out a minute later. He just nodded to them and walked into her room. He was surprised that she was awake.

"Hey, Ziver, how you holding up?" he asked, sitting next to her in a chair.

"Well, I'm a hospital, Gibbs. You can probably guess how much I hate hospitals. At Mossad, I would be getting debriefed, take a few aspirin, and be back in the field a few days later." She looked away, not wanting to say that honestly, she didn't know which she preferred.

"True. I know how you feel. I hate hospitals, too. They're too, I don't know, sterile. Quiet, and they smell funny."

She laughed quietly. "But the drugs are nice," she said, smiling a goofy smile at him, making him chuckle.

"Very true," he said.

"Where's Tony, he still at the scene?" When Gibbs didn't answer right away, she got agitated. "Don't tell me that he got hurt, too, Gibbs? I thought I killed the shooter! What, was there more than one of them?"

Gibbs reached out and grabbed a hand that was flailing in her panic. It was amazing to him that after everything DiNozzo was doing, she still thought the best of him, that he was injured and not choosing to be someplace else. "Ziva, calm down. Tony's not injured. He had some things to take care of, but he'll be here tomorrow." As soon as Gibbs said that, he meant it. He didn't care if he had to drag him in by the ear like a puppy, Tony was going to see his partner.

She sighed, calming. "Well, I'm glad he's okay. I'd be rather pissed if I got hurt for nothing," she joked. As soon as she said that, he gently head slapped her. "Hey, what was that for?" she demanded with a laugh.

"You disobeyed an order, David. I told you no heroics, and then you go and take a bullet for your partner," he said with mock sternness.

"I guess Agent Todd and I are more alike than I thought," she muttered, and Gibbs knew that she was saying that more to herself than to him.

"You are a lot alike, Ziva," he assured her. "There are differences, of course, but the two of you share a lot of admirable traits."

"What, like the willingness to jump in front of a bullet for someone we care about? I have to say, that was the first time I'd ever done that. Usually, I'm on the other side of the gun," she admitted. She still didn't know what prompted her to do what she did, and that scared her.

"Ziva, you both had extreme training, in two very different lines of work. However, when it comes down to it, you are both dedicated to doing the right thing, and you both care immensely for this team."

She just smiled and reached out to squeeze his hand. "Thanks Gibbs. Now, I know that you guys have a lot of work to get done, so I won't keep you here any longer," she said.

He nodded and stood. "You need anything, you just call and let us know, alright?" he asked.

She nodded. As soon as he reached the door, she thought of one thing. "Gibbs?" she called. He paused and turned back around. "Could you go into my desk, and bring me those two photos?" she asked quietly, not entirely sure why she wanted them.

Gibbs smiled and nodded. "See you soon, Ziver."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

Gibbs went back to NCIS and walked straight to the director's office.

"Agent Gibbs, what can I do for you this afternoon?" she asked with a smile.

He decided to get straight to the point. "Ziva's been shot."

The smile vanished from Jenny's face. "Oh my God, is she going to be okay?

"Doing better. McGee had to donate some blood, the hospital didn't have enough of her type. She'll be riding a desk for a while, the bullet went through her shoulder, but there wasn't a whole lot of damage, thankfully."

"How did it happen, Jethro? Ziva knows how to fight better than almost anyone at this agency."

Gibbs sighed and sat in one of the chairs. "We were called out to a scene, shots fired from a petty officer. We split up, me and McGee, David and DiNozzo. I wasn't there, but apparently Ziva saw a gunman in a tree about to shoot Tony, so she shoved him out of the way and took the bullet for him."

Jen gasped. Ziva had saved many lives throughout her career, but none in that fashion.

"Tony been to see her?" she asked, then sighed when she saw the look of anger in his face. "I take that as a no."

"No, he hasn't. Could've, we all were there and got to go into the room, but he said that he couldn't."

"Give him some time. It was barely a year ago that his other female partner died."

Gibbs just nodded and stood. "I just wanted to tell you about Ziva, I know the two of you have been close for a while."

"Thanks, Jethro. Oh, and since one of your agents was seriously injured on the job, I'm afraid I'm going to have to transfer this case to another team."

Gibbs growled, but nodded again. He knew that that was protocol. Walking back down to the squad room, he stopped by Ziva's desk and pulled out the book. Opening it, he found the two pictures. For a moment, he just stared at them, especially the childhood one. There was just something in her eyes, he couldn't put his finger on it. He put them back into the book and set the book on his desk. He would swing by the hospital when he left. For now, he just working on the paperwork to hand the case over to a different team.

Finally, he decided that it was time to go back and visit with Ziva. Walking into the hospital, he flashed his badge and went to her room. He smiled when he saw that she was sleeping. Going over, he sat in the chair next to her, placing the pictures on the table. He sighed, wondering if this was how the team had felt a few weeks ago when he was in a coma. But, no, it wasn't the same. For one thing, she was just sleeping, they knew she would wake up. Also, the team loved him, and right now, the team wasn't sure how they felt about her. So, it really wasn't the same. Looking closely at the Israeli, he brushed some hair out of her eyes. He was rather shocked when her eyes snapped open, and, using her injured arm, reached up, grabbed his hand, and twisted it.

"Ziva, its Gibbs," he said calmly, gently prying her fingers off of his arm.

"Gibbs, I am sorry. I should not have-"

"Its okay, I'm fine. I'm more worried about you ripping some stitches. Doctors would have my hide if I set back your recovery time," he said, making her laugh.

"If the worst thing that happens with this is that I rip some stitches, I'll consider myself lucky." She sat up straighter. "So, what's the next step with the case? Have you guys talked to the family?"

"Can't. Protocol says that since an agent was injured in the case enough to need a hospital stay, another team is taking over." He grinned inwardly at her expression.

"What? I don't have to stay here, Gibbs. We can go out and-"

"No no, Officer David, there will be no going out for you any time soon," he said, knowing that he had to tell her that she was off field duty. "The only thing that you will be doing for a while is riding a desk."

Ziva froze. "You are joking, yes? Pulling my arm?"

"Leg, Ziva, pull your leg. And no, I'm not. An injury like this is one that-"

"Gibbs, this is nothing!" she nearly shouted. Closing her eyes, she took a steadying breath. "Gibbs, I have had injuries that make this one look like a splinter, and gone back to work a few days later. There is no need to keep me out of the field! I know my limits with an injury, and I assure you th-"

"Ziva, I am sure that as a Mossad officer, you have had serious injuries, ones that we here can't comprehend. But you are part of NCIS, and you will follow orders. I will speak with your doctor, and when he thinks you are okay to go back into the field, I will welcome you back with open arms. As it stands, you will still be able to help with cases, just doing desk work."

"This is complete-"

"Ziva!" Gibbs snapped before she could say something she'd regret later.

She hung her head. There was nothing that she could say to prove that she'd be fine, she knew that. All she could now was follow orders. She gritted her teeth. "Yes, sir," she said, clenching her hands.

Gibbs stood. He figured the Israeli could use some alone time. "I'm sorry, Ziver. Be back to check on you tomorrow," he said quietly, squeezing her uninjured shoulder.

"Thanks, Gibbs," she said, just as quietly. As soon as he was out of sight, she turned and picked up the photos. She looked at Paris for a minute, then turned to her homeland. Even though she knew every detail of this photo, it still brought comfort. Usually. But tonight, as she looked into the faces of both of her deceased siblings, her eyes filled. She gently stroked each of their faces, then closed her eyes, trying to will herself back to that time and place, where things were much simpler. Her sister, the laughter of the house was there, her father meant it when he said he loved her, and when Ari promised never to betray her, she could believe him. But try as she might, she couldn't force her mind to go back there. So much had happened in the last year, she wasn't sure anymore where her home was. Was it back in Israel, her homeland, her birthplace, where her biological family lived? Or was it here in America, where she became accepted for more than her killing abilities, where she found that it was okay to have a conscience, and to occasionally show her feelings? But, then again, Israel was were she became a killer, and most of her family was either dead or dead in spirit. And in America, the trust she had worked so hard to gain this year had vanished as soon as her relation with Ari came to light. She supposed she was a tumbleweed, forced into any direction the wind chooses. Fate so far had enjoyed pushing her; perhaps that was why today, in an act so opposite what she normally would have done, she chose to push back. Suddenly, she realized she was crying, and swiped the back of her hand under her eyes.

"Tissue?" she heard a voice ask, and she looked through the haze of tears into the eyes of her partner, Tony.

**A/N: So, we're finally going to have our Ziva/Tony conversation, just took me longer to get there than I thought. **

**And if I made technical mistakes about handing over cases in the NCIS, I apologize.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

"Tony?" she asked, incredulous, and scrubbed her face clear of tears. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd come and see how you are doing," he said, then gestured to the seat Gibbs had vacated. "May I?"

"Since when do you ask permission?" she asked, but nodded.

"Well, I figured I'd try to be polite."

"Uh oh, this can not be good, then," she muttered. "Okay, let me guess. You are going to say that you cannot have a partner who jumps the gun at crime scenes and gets herself shot, or not one who lies about having a sociopathic brother?" she demanded, her voice hard. His attitude the last few days irked her.

Tony flinched slightly, and was glad that she didn't have any weapons on her. "I was wondering if we could talk," he said.

"Talk? Why would we?"

He held up his hands. "How about an olive branch?"

"Why would I want an-"

"I mean, lets make peace for a minute and talk. If you want to kick my ass later, well, then we'll figure something out," he said, smiling. When she simply nodded stiffly, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled something out, handing it to her. "I know its not as good as Abby's but I thought you'd like the original back," he said quietly.

Ziva gasped. He had taped all of the pieces of her photo back together, like a puzzle. "Tony, I-" she didn't know what to say.

Tony smiled. He was amazed that he could render the Israeli speechless. "Like I said, its not in the condition it should be, but I thought it might make you willing to talk?"

She ran her fingers over it, then placed it with the other pictures, sat up straighter, and looked him in the eyes. "What would you like to ask, Tony?" she wondered.

"What makes you think that I had something to ask?"

"Please. I may not be familiar with all American idioms, but it seems clear that when one person desires to speak after tension filled days of working together, the first thing to do is to ask a question that has been bothering them. So, what?" she said, not wanting to beat around the bush.

Tony sighed. He could never get anything past the human lie detector. "Why didn't you tell us about Ari, Ziva?"

Ziva nodded. She had figured this was where he would start. "Wind the clock back a year, Tony. Kate has just been killed, as has Ari. I was assigned to your team, and it was made clear to me that I was no Kate. Do you have any idea how hard it was to gain your trust? I knew that if any of you had the slightest idea that I was related to Kate's killer, that I would never have gained your trust."

"Why did Gibbs say that he killed Ari, instead of you?"

"There were a few reasons for that, but mostly it was to protect me. Ari still had a lot of faithful friends in Mossad, and if I had returned to work there, my safety may have become an issue. Which is why we lied in the report, and why I came to NCIS. I confided in Jen, who agreed that I could become part of your team."

Tony's head was spinning. He hadn't expected her to be so blunt about it. But that was part of who she was, she didn't like to dance around the issues.

"Look, Tony. I do not like walking on seashells around you guys."

"Eggshells," he corrected immediately.

"Pardon?"

"The term is walk on eggshells. But continue."

"Oh-kay. I do not like walking on eggshells around the team. If there is one thing that I have learned in my life, its that teams may not have to like each other, but they do have to trust each other. So the way I see it is that there are two choices. Either, you trust me enough, at least in the field, until I can get reassigned; or you let me know right now that you can't do that, and I will make sure I stay on desk duty until then." She swallowed. She hated to do this. She loved working at NCIS, getting to help instead of kill? It was like a breath of fresh air. But she would go where she had to in order to survive. It was what she did, after all.

"What if I want a third option?" Tony asked.

"Which would be….?"

"You stay on Gibbs' team. We're like a family. A completely dysfunctional, insane family, but one nonetheless."

"Wow, did you just say nonetheless? Kind of a big word for you, isn't it?" she asked, unable to keep from teasing him.

"See, that's my point exactly. We're a family. We can fight and argue, and you can threaten me with a paperclip and all the ways you know how to use one. But in the end, we learn to give each other the benefit of the doubt, and trust each other."

"So, is that the DiNozzo apology?" she asked.

"Yeah, close enough," he said, then shook his head. "No, not really close enough. I'm sorry, Ziva. Sorry I destroyed your photo, and sorry that I lost my faith in you. I jumped to conclusions. I guess that I just needed an outlet, since I was scared of losing Gibbs. Our team had lost so much already, and I was worried. Now, you tell anyone that I got all mushy like this, and I will Gibbs slap you back to the Middle East," he said with a smile.

She smiled back and reached out for his had, giving it a squeeze.

"So, what did you mean by 'stay on' desk duty?"

"Ah, Gibbs said that with my injury, I cannot go out into the field until the doctor says that it is okay," she said, grimacing.

"That's what you were so upset about when I walked in?" he asked softly. He knew how hard it was to stay out of the field because of an injury, and he was sure it was harder on her, since she had probably worked through bigger injuries.

"No, I was thinking about….other things," she said, unsure of how much to reveal.

"What things?" he asked, honestly curious. He didn't often see her so upset, and wanted to know what caused it. "Was it the fact that you risked your life for a dick like me?" he asked, with a grin.

"No, but thank you for reminding me," she said with a laugh. "No, I was thinking about homes, my family. Things like that," she said.

"Which home?" he wondered.

"What do you mean? You cannot have more than one," she pointed out.

"Sure you can. I mean, I know that NCIS has become my second home, since I'm there more than anywhere else. Whenever I go back East, I feel like I'm going home, but I get that same feeling when I get back to D.C. You can, too, have more than one home."

Ziva paused. She had never thought of it like that. Suddenly, the weight she had been feeling for so long felt lifted off of her. "Thank you, Tony. I mean that," she said, full of wonder. Lifting up her injured arm to grip his shoulder in thanks, she hissed when the movement pulled the stitches.

"You okay?" he asked with chagrin. He still couldn't believe that she had done that for him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she muttered. She hated getting injured, especially when others have to see her injured.

When Tony stared at her, she gave him a look. "What?" she asked.

He smiled. "You just used a contraction," he said in amazement.

"What is a contraption?" she asked, confused.

Tony laughed, and decided to let it slide, for now. "Never mind, my ninja. I'll let you get some sleep. See you tomorrow?"

"Tony, you have work, you don't have to come by ag-"

"Yes, I do, unless you are going to threaten me with bodily harm. Then I will stay away. Though, since you are one armed for now, I think I could take you," he said with a laugh.

Ziva grinned. "Well, we would just have to see, will we not?" she asked, and Tony looked nervous.

"Okay, so I will bring you dinner tomorrow in exchange for the promise of my safety," he bargained.

Ziva smiled. "Sounds like a deal."

**A/N: So, I was thinking one more chapter to round things out, so stick with me, I'll finish it up soon.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS**

Ziva grinned happily. It was her first day without a sling in weeks. That thing had been driving her nuts, and it was all she could do not to burn it (or blow it up, as was more her style). She went to her desk and looked around. She was the first one in, which wasn't unusual, she usually got there before everyone but Gibbs. But today, she even beat him, and there was a fresh coffee on everyone's desk, a testament to her good mood. She sat in her chair, and looked at the photo she had placed next to her computer. After a few days of inner debate once she had returned to work, she decided to use Gibbs' frame to hold her childhood photo. It seemed that if she must be stuck at that desk for (minimum!) 40 hours a week, that she find something that cheered her up. And the photo once again did that, thanks to Tony, who had reminded her that a person can have more than one home, which she did. She no longer fought about who she was, Israeli or American. She was both. But she did keep her Paris photo (both of them) at home, which was a compromise. If she was going to have a picture of Ari at NCIS, then she would have the one that didn't resemble the terrorist they had all come to know and hate.

The elevator dinged, and she saw her three coworkers come out together. They all grinned when they saw her, and Tony was happy, but also suspicious, when he saw that she had bought them all coffee.

"What did you put in it?" he asked, taking a sniff.

"Like I would tell you?" she asked with a smile.

"McGee, switch me coffees," he ordered.

"Why would I do that?" Tim asked, holding his closer.

"Because, I am your superior and I ordered you to," Tony said, as if it were obvious.

"Ha, please! I don't feel like dying today. Its not my fault if someone wants you dead," Tim said, taking a long swig of his.

"At least taste it, make sure its not poisoned," Tony implored, giving Ziva a death glare.

"Tony, if anyone were going to kill you by poisoning your drink, it would be Abby," Ziva pointed out. "I prefer something a bit more…lasting," she said with an innocent smile.

Tony turned slowly to her, then walked over to her desk. "Then you take a sip first, my ninja."

Ziva grabbed his and drank half of it. Wiping the rim of the cup, she handed it back to him "See, like I said, I prefer something lasting."

Tony laughed and took a sip of the coffee. He walked to his desk and sat down. They had missed Ziva; even after she came back to work, she was a bit more mellow, not the ninja she normally was. But today, she seemed like she was getting back to normal, or at least closer to that since she had been before Gibbs had gotten blown up. But his musings were interrupted when Gibbs' phone rang.

Hanging it up, Gibbs smiled. "Got a dead Marine; all of you, grab your gear," he barked and stood. When the three agents got to the elevator, they noticed that Ziva was still at her desk. "Ziva, I said all of you!" he shouted.

Ziva stood in shock and grabbed her bag. She didn't think she'd be cleared for field duty for a few more days. Once she got in the elevator, with a huge grin matching Tony and McGee's, she felt a Gibbs slap on her head. She turned to her boss and glared at him.

Gibbs kept his face at his neutral 'boss' face, though he wanted to laugh as much as the others. "You're coming, but if you so much as think about diving in front of a bullet again, I will kick your ass back to Israel myself," he threatened, then grinned. "You're the only one who can shut DiNozzo up half the time," he said, chuckling.

"Boss!" DiNozzo's cry of indignation was stopped by two head slaps from Ziva and Gibbs.

They were back.

**A/N: Thank you guys for the awesome reviews. As this was my first published fic, I appreciate the awesome response this has gotten. ****Let me know what you think of this ending :-) **

**I have already decided on my next NCIS fic, but it'll take a bit more planning than this one, so stay tuned for that one. **


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